Another round of severe weather is expected to hit Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy rains, damaging winds, and possibly tornadoes could be seen across the state on Saturday and into Saturday night. While the central part of the state, along with portions of the Delta and Pine Belt, is under an enhanced risk, the coastal region and north Mississippi could see intensified conditions as a low-pressure system tramples the Deep South.
Officials with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are urging Mississippians to stay prepared with the increased possibility of dangerous weather setting in. Below are some tips provided by MEMA to ensure you and your family are not caught off guard if severe conditions make it to your doorstep.
Tornado safety
- Take cover in a sturdy building
- The best place in a house/building is on the lowest floor and in an interior room. Basements, storm shelters, hallways, closets, and bathrooms are great locations to go. Put as many walls between you and a tornado as possible.
- Protect your head from flying debris. Blankets, pillows, helmets, mattresses, and cooking pots are all good things to use to protect your head, other than your hands.
- Mobile homes are not safe shelters. Find a neighbor or a friend to stay with in a sturdier structure. For a last resort, take shelter in a ditch.
- Never attempt to outrun a tornado in a vehicle. Get out of the car and into a sturdy building. If none is around, lay flat in a ditch.
- Highway overpasses are not shelters. Winds speed up as they funnel underneath the overpass creating a danger to those underneath, as well as debris flying around.
Lightning safety
- If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning: “When thunder roars, go indoors!”
- Once inside, do not use appliances, landline telephones, or take a shower/bath. If lightning strikes your house, it can enter through the telephone, power lines, or plumbing. It is safest to wait til the storm has passed.
- If stuck outside, never take shelter under a tree. Try to find a building or get into a hard-topped car as quickly as possible.
Flooding safety
- If encountering flooded roadways, turn around, don’t drown! Find another way to go. Do not cross the flooded road.
- It only takes 1-2 feet of flowing water to wash away any car, and six inches of flowing water to wash a grown person off of their feet.
- As long as water covers the road, conditions underneath the water are unknown. The road could be washed away, a power line could be downed in the water, etc.
Mississippians can also see weather updates, forecasts, and radar data here.
